Ram Jack helicals anchor test bed requiring 1 million-pound capacity

Tallahassee, Fla. — Applied Fiber, a testing company in terminated synthetic fiber systems, needed a rope termination test bed installed. The catch? It had to be able to withstand 1 million pounds of capacity. The original plan incorporated concrete that would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Using an economic stabilization plan, Ram Jack Solid Foundations used helical piles to support the new test bed, allowing the company to save resources while still having the highest quality of foundation solutions.

To test rope terminations, Applied Fiber needed to install a test bed that would require 1 million pounds of load capacity. All was going well until they discovered it would cost $500,000 to create a concrete anchor big enough to manage such loads. Alternatively, the project engineer suggested using helical piles, and that’s where Ram Jack Solid Foundations entered the scene.

The original proposed plan consisted of 20, 5.5-inch-diameter helicals to each manage 90 kips of load. However, wanting to offer the most economical solution, Ram Jack altered the plan. Instead of using 5.5-inch helicals, Ram Jack engineers proposed using 3.5-inch helicals that would each manage 45 kips of load. The plan was accepted and installation ensued.

With the resource-savvy plan, Ram Jack installed a total of 32, 3.5-inch-diameter piles to stabilize the test bed, providing them with unshifting load capacity for years to come. The smaller-diameter piles provided Applied Fiber with a solution that was on time and under budget.